Newark will offer employees buyouts to close budget gap

The City of Newark will offer voluntary buyouts to a majority of its 5,000 employees to help eliminate a potential $180 million budget gap, city officials said.

Uniformed police and firefighters will be exempted from the offer along with certain other categories of employees such as lawyers, Business Administrator Bo Kemp said.

Mayor Cory Booker has said that everything, including layoffs, is on the table to solve Newark's financial crisis except a reduction in police and fire personnel.

The mayor informed the city council about the voluntary buyouts during an executive session earlier last week.

City Council President Mildred Crump said she doesn't have a figure for the potential number of layoffs, but last year Booker said up to 20 percent of the city's workforce might have to be reduced because of the budget deficit.

While the details of the buyout offer are still being worked out, one council member said employees will be offered health benefits and a percentage of their salaries for three months depending on the number of years of service. Kemp said the city hopes to gauge employee interest by the end of June. The council member said the deadline to take the offer would be November.